Remote-control manipulator



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REMOTE-CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed Deo. 16, 1949 I 18 Sheets-Sheet 18 IN V EN TUR. qywzond 6.' 6067/255 Patented` Mar. 24, r1v 9543 2,632,574 REMOTE-CONTROL MANIPULATOR RaymondAC. Gocrtz, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Application December 16, 1949, Serial No. 133,440

14 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for mechanical manipulation and more particularly it pertains to a remote control manipulator.

In order to experiment safely with radioactive ymaterial it is necessary to minimize as much as possible the effect of harmful radioactivity, such as gamma rays. This need has fostered the development of many remote controlled devices whereby the experimenter may perform his operations indirectly from behind a protective wall, observing the result of his motions through either a set of mirrors or a shielded window in the wall. Up to this time such manipulators have not only been clumsy and relatively limited in the movements required of them, but they have demanded extensive practice on the part of the operator. before he can rely upon them in his experiments. The present invention has been developed with these objectionable features in mind. The device embodying this invention is dexterous to handle and capable of manipulation within wide limits. In addition, it has beendesigned to duplicate as much as possible the motions of the operator; namely, the motions of his hand, Wrist and arm.

The present invention consists of a horizontal tube which may be mounted either through or I over a protective wall. Of the several embodiments'to be described the lsimplest has the tongs or jaws attached to one end of the tube and the manipulating handle attached to the other end.` This embodiment called the straight arm manipulator, is mounted through theV protective shield. It offers three-dimensional rotation. Another embodiment has a verticalv shaft appended to each end of the horizontal tube. To the lower end of one shaft is disposed the manipulator or handle and on the other shaft is attached the tongs. The third embodiment is similar to the second in that a vertical shaft is appended to each end of an elongated tube. A handle is mounted on the lower end of one shaft while va tongs is similarly mounted on the other shaft. In each embodiment between the handle and tongs are the connecting means for transferring motions of the handle to the tongs. These means are disposed compactly in the vertical shafts and the elongated tube. By virtue 2 Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the handle of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Y

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view ofthe handle taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view partly in section of the tongs and gear assembly of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the tongs of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; v

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary View of' a portion of the elongated tube between the handle and tongs, showing the manner in which the inner concentric tubes are joined;

Fig. 'lis a cross-sectional view of the supporting unit taken on the line 'I--l of Figure 6 Figure 8 is a perspective view 0f the second embodiment of a manipulator, showing the manner in which it is mounted over a protective wall;

Figure 9 is an end View partly in section of a portion of the support of the manipulator taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 10;

Figure 10 is an elevational view partly in section of the embodiment shown in Figure 8;

Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective View of the tongs of the embodiment shown in Figure 8;

Figure 12 is an enlarged perspective View of the handle of the embodiment shown in Figure 8;

Figure 13 is a sectional end view of the gear assembly to which the tongs and handleare attached;

Figure 14 is a side elevational view in section of the gear assembly shown in Fig. 13, indicating the manner in which the tongs are attached thereto; l

Figure 15 is an enlarged plan View partly in section of the handle of the embodiment shown in Figure `8, indicating the manner in which the handle is attached to the gear assembly shown in Figure 13;

of the latter embodiments the operator has freedom of motion in three dimensions, and threedimensional rotation.

Figure 16 is an enlarged elevational View of the tongs of the embodiment shown in Figure 8; Figure 17 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of a manipulator, showing the man-f ner in which it is mounted over a protective wall; Figure 18 is an enlarged plan view of the han-s dle and gear assembly of the embodiment shown in Figure 17; f j Figure 19 is an enlarged elevational View partly in section of the handle and gear assembly shown in Figure 18; l A

Figure 20 is an enlarged plan View partlyy in section of the tongs of the embodiment shown in Figure 17, indicating the manner in which the tongs are attachedtothe gear assembly as shown in Figure 22;

Figure 21 is a side elevational view in section of the gear assembly shown in Figure 22;

Figure 22 is a sectional end view of the gear assembly to which the tongs and handle are attached, taken on line 22-22 of Figure 2i;

Figure 23 is a fragmentary elevational view partly in section of one of the parallel arms showing the connection between the arm and the elongated tube above the handle;

Figure 24 is a fragmentary end View partly in section of the parallel arm and elongated tube taken on the line 24-24 of Figure 23;

Figure 25 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section of the parallel arm and the elongated tube showing the connection between them;

Figure 26 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the top pulley wheels and the connection between the top connecting rod and the upright member as shown in Figure 17;

Figure 27 is a plan view of the members shown in Figure 26;

Figure 28 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational View of the gear assembly and the frame which surmounts the parallel arm above the connection to the elongated tube as shown in Fig ure 1'7;

Figure 29 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the gear assembly and frame shown in Figure 28;

Figure 30 is a fragmentary plan View of the upright member and braces taken on the line 3 0-30 of Figure 28;

Figure 31 is a diagrammatic drawing of the connecting cable between the handle and tongs which operates the jaws of the tongs in response te squeezing the handle in the direction shown by the arrows;

Figure 32 is a diagrammatic drawing of the two continuous tapes connecting the gear assemblies to which the tongs and handle are attached and showing directional arrows in which the tapes operate the tongs in response to similar movement of the handle;

Figure 33 is a diagrammatic drawing of the continuous tape by which the Parallel armsI are moved simultaneously in the direction, shown by the arrows and Figure 34 is a diagrammatic drawing of the continuous tape by which the parallel arms are rotated simultaneously in the directions s hown b y the arrows.

The simplest embodiment to be described herein is that generally indicated at 2 in Figure l. It comprises an intermediate supporting unit which includes an elongated tube 4 with a handle 6 disposed at one end and a tongs 8 at the other end. The intermediate supporting unit also includes within tube e the motion-conveying mechanism which will be described below. In Figures 2 and 3 the handle 6 is displayed in detail. It consists of a frame Il), a cover I2, and a lever means I4. More particularly, the frame IG consists of a Iiat member generally outlined in Figure 2, to one end of which is disposed a-casing I6. By means of a set screw i8 the casing I5 is annexed to a 'sleeve 2E which is rigidly secured to a pinion 22 by a set screw 2li. A plurality of posts 26 are imbedded in the iiat member of the frame l0 and extend perpendicularly therefrom to a height approximately equal to the diameter of the casing l5. The cover l2 is adaptedto t the periphery of the frame l@ and to form a compartment therewith. The frame Il! is held in place -by screws 28 disposed in. the top 'of 'the posts 26. The cover is apertured in onewall to accommodate the lever means I4 extending from a rectangular body 3l) which is pivoted on a pin 32 where it is kept in place by a keeper 34 extending horizontally from a post 36. Both the pin 32 and the post 3G are mounted in the flat portion of the frame l0'. A wire spring 38, mounted around the pin 32, rotates the lever means lli in a clockwise direction when the operator releases it until the rectangular body 30 vencounters a stopper 4B, which extends from the frame lil. A cable d2 is secured to the rectangular body 30 by means of a screw 44 and is seated in a groove 4S along the periphery of said body where it is held by a retainer 48. From the groove d5 the cable 132 follows a course past a pulley 50 which is disposed on a post 52 extending from the frame I0. The other end of the cable d2 is secured to a pulley block 54 and a pulley 56. The pulley 56 is suspended in place by a cable 58, one end of which is anchored to a post 60 which extends from the frame I. From the pulley 56 the cable 58 extends past the casing Vl 6 and the sleeve 2i) and the pinion 22 through the elongated tube 4 to the tongs 8.

The tongs 8, disposed at the other end of the tube ll, is m-ore clearly shown in the Figures 4 and 5. The tongs includes a pair of jaws 60 which are coupled to a support member 62 by meansvof parallel links 54 and 55. On the one hand 'the link 64 has a tubular cross-section and is bifurcated at each end. The end of the jaws 65 is also bifurcated and said bifurcations are disposed between the bifurcations of the link Srl, being pivoted thereto by a pin 68. Likewise the support member 62 is bifurcated transversely and said bifurcated mem-bers are disposed between the bifurcated ends of the link B4 at which `point they are pivoted by a pin l. On the other 'hand the link 56 is a flat member which is attached to the jaw GG and to the support member 52 between the bifurcations of ea-ch by a pin l2 and .14,respectively. The link 65 extends beyond the `pin 'M between the bifurcations of the support .member 62 and then turns outwardly therefrom at the center of said support member between the links 64, forming rocker larms T6.. At the center of the support member 62 the rocker arms contact each other tangentially at curved edges. A peripheral groove 'i8 also follows `the same curved edges beginning at the point of contact of the rocker arms 'I6 and terminates at the -outer extremity where there is a screw vfie. The cable 58, which was mentioned above-as being anchored in the handle S and which extends through the tube 4 to the tongs 8, is spliced at apoint within the tube so that two v'branches constitute the second end which are seated in the groot/cl3 and anchored at the screws B. It is to be pointed out that the distances between the ,pivot pi-ns lf2 and 68, and 'i4 and l on the one hand, .and between the p-ivot pins 63 and lil, and "f2 and Thiv on the other hand are respectively equal. In other words they deiine a parallelogram. On the. com tact surfaces of the jaws Afill a padding '32 is disposed which prevents the article to belifted from. Slipping- In` each link 5.5, a small aperture,4 84 is provided for the ends of a wire spring "8 6A 4which is disposed against the tongs in the shape of a horseshoe. The spring `8 6 opens thefl'aws when tension is released on the cabl'e. Gn the support `member B2 a casing 83 is disposed centrally on the longitudinal axis. The casing 'is communicative with the space between the 'bifurcations of the member 62. Seated within 'the'casing 88 is a sleeve 9|), secured by a set vscrew 9.2. 

